Shatter The Sky
by Swordoflight86
Summary: Summary: During the Uchiha Clan Coup, things don't go quite as planned. As Konoha desperately tries to compensate for its unforeseen losses, the storm clouds gather and the dogs of war begin to struggle at their leashes. (On hold while I get what passes for my life together(if such a thing is possible)).
1. Chapter 1

Shatter the Sky

A Naruto Fanfic

Summary: During the Uchiha Clan Coup, things don't go quite as planned. As Konoha desperately tries to compensate for its unforeseen losses, the storm clouds gather and the dogs of war begin to struggle at their leashes.

Completely pointless disclaimer that provides no legal protection whatsoever: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 1

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked out at the burning village. The Uchiha had risen, despite the his best efforts to reduce tensions and maintain peace. Fighting had broken out all across the village, as both they and their supporters attacked loyalist shinobi and locations. The door slammed open as Danzou rushed in.

"Sarutobi, they are coming," he said breathlessly.

The Third Hokage turned. "We are ready."

Danzou nodded. They were indeed ready. If it was going to be the last stand of their generation, and the ideals of their generation, then they would make it a last stand for the ages.

There was a crash from below, and the sound of fighting. Then the door crashed open, and Uchiha Fugaku walked in, followed by his son Itachi and his cousin Shisui.

"Lord, Third," he began, "I am here to accept your surrender."

Sarutobi scoffed. "You do not have it, and will not get it."

"Very well then." Fugaku seemed pleased. "I will become Hokage over your corpse."

The battle for the hearts and minds for Konoha began and ended here.

X

Six Years Later

Uzumaki Naruto was late for class. Again. This was not unusual in itself. What bothered Hyuga Hinata was that he kept getting away with it. Particularly today. It was the day that their class was graduating. Final exams had been the week before, and as part of graduation they were being assigned to teams. Being late to team assignments showed an incredible disrespect for the institutions for Konoha.

Hinata truly cared for Naruto, though his layabout personality made it somewhat difficult at times. His foot-in-mouth syndrome made things tough as well. The fact that he reciprocated, trying very hard to be supportive even though her mercurial nature certainly made hings difficult for him as well.

"I'm here," a loud voice called from the doorway. Naruto burst through, a veritable bundle of energy and happiness.

Hinata smiled slightly.

"Good, now sit down," Umino Iruka, the class' chuunin instructor said. "Team assignments start in five minutes."

Naruto sat down next to Hinata. "How are you," he asked her.

"Fine," she replied.

Naruto leaned back. "That's good," he said. "everything going okay?"

"Yes."

"Okay everyone," Iruka said, "we're going to start team assignments. As you all know, teams are assigned based on skill level and compatibility."

"Team One is Hanakage Tsuki, Bayushi Mayuri, and Kazama Arashi. Your sensei is Hattori Hanzo."

Hinata wondered at the the team composition metrics. Team One had all of the hallmarks of a catastrophe. Mayuri came from a dishonored samurai family, Tsuki was the daughter of a traitor, Arashi had stability issues, and they were under a jounin who had been removed from duty prior to the Uchiha Clan Coup for psychiatric reasons. It was almost as if they were meant to fail. She came out of her musings having missed six teams.

"Team Seven, Uchiha Sasuke, Fuu, Inuzuka Kiba. Your Sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

Another traitor, one of Konoha's two Jinchuriki, and the last surviving member of the Inuzuka clan. Another recipe for disaster.

"Team Eight, Hyuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, and Aburame Shino. Your Sensei is Mitarashi Anko."

Another team composition that escaped her. It would almost be a scout/support team if not for Naruto's presence. Curious. She supposed she'd find out eventually.

Team Nine was already in circulation, so the last team was Team Ten, which to the surprise of no-one was the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Hinata settled in to wait for her sensei.

"Hinata-chan, would you like to go have lunch with me," Naruto asked her.

"I would rather be here when our sensei arrives," she replied.

Naruto left. If she had known how long she would have to wait, she would have accepted his offer.

X

Mitarashi Anko waited in the Hokage's Office. The old Hokage Tower had been destroyed in the Uchiha Clan Coup, and in the administrative reshuffling and military buildup following the incident it had been replaced with a more utilitarian, though much larger building.

The Administration Building actually had less functionality than the Hokage Tower, as the council chambers had been removed, due to the council no longer existing, and the records room had been moved to a more secure location. Much of the increase in size had to do with increased interior defenses. Any attack on the Administration Building with less than a battalion of ANBU would be suicide.

"Mitarashi-san, it is good to see you," the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, formerly of the Sannin, greeted her.

Anko started. She hadn't even heard him come in.

"It is my pleasure, Hokage-sama." It was the truth, though only part of it. It was a pleasure to see the Hokage, but since she had been ordered to report to him, the pleasure was somewhat tempered by duty.

"I am certain you are wondering why I summoned you here," he said.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," she replied.

Jiraiya reached into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out two folders. He passed them to her.

Anko looked at them. They were the pre-graduation psychiatric evaluations of Hyuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto. She looked at the Hokage questioningly.

"Read it, you'll understand."

Anko did. In doing so, she became surprised that either of them had been allowed to become shinobi. Hinata had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, apparently an issue stemming from abuse she had suffered at the hands of her father before his death in the Coup. Naruto was quite possibly even worse, with some sort of social disorder that rendered him unable to read nonverbal cues and serious co-dependency issues. They had latched onto each other in some sort of symbiotic relationship where they each provided the other with unconditional support. The evaluation went on to point out that their loyalty to each other outweighed their loyalty to the village, and that they would do anything for the other, including betray the village. The evaluation had recommended them to be removed from service.

"Hokage-sama, I don't understand." Anko wasn't certain why anyone would allow these two outside without a chaperone.

"I'm surprised." Jiraiya sounded disappointed. "I overrode the psychiatrists for two reasons. Firstly, we can't afford to have one of our strategic weapons sitting on the sidelines during a time as dangerous as the one we are in now." He sighed. "Second, if we mustered out Hinata, Naruto would be even more vulnerable to subversion than he already is." He stared out the window sadly. "War is on the horizon, Anko. I reassigned you to be their sensei because you are an interrogator. You will be able to see any warning signs or odd behavior and hopefully fix them."

"Sir, I'm not even sure that is possible."

"The psychiatrists assure me that with enough work they can at least be made as functionally normal as any other shinobi. I leave it in your hands."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

X

They had been waiting in awkward silence for a few hours now. Naruto had come back to the Academy to find Hinata slouched at her desk, staring at the chalkboard. He knew immediately not to bother her. Unfortunately, Shino didn't. Aburame weren't exactly known for their social expertise. Neither was Naruto, come to that, but her was well acquainted with Hinata's mercurial nature.

Shino's attempts at socialization only made things worse, and when Hinata had exploded it had taken everything Naruto had to calm her down. He wasn't certain he understood why Shino was mad at him. All he had done was explain that Shino shouldn't bother Hinata when she was having a bad day, as she could be very temperamental. Shino had given him a look like he had crawled out from under a flat rock.

Well, Naruto thought, Hinata was always there to support him, just like he was always there for her. He didn't need Shino's approval.

Their sensei arrived in a flurry of leaves. At least he thought it was their sensei. It might have been a stripper for all he knew.

"Are you Team Eight?"

"No," Naruto replied, "We're a wandering band of vagabond with aspirations of world domination."

"Cute," their could-quite-possibly-be sensei said. "I'm your jounin-sensei. Meet me at Training Ground Thirty-Four in five minutes." She disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto leapt to his feet. "We really gotta haul ass, guys. Training Ground Thirty-Four is on the other side of the village." He bolted out the door, the other two just behind him.

Now, there was no possible way they could have made it to Training Ground Thirty-Four in five minutes. That would have been a difficult task for a chuunin. This was, of course, a test, though they didn't know that.

They arrived at Training Ground Thirty-Four precisely seven minute and fifty-two seconds later. Anko was waiting for them.

"You're late," she said.

"We went as fast as we could," Shino said defensively.

"I know." Anko smiled. "I was testing you. I set an impossible task, to see how you would react. If you had given up and not even attempted to make it here on time, you would have failed. As it stands, you have passed my first test. I am Mitarashi Anko, and I am your Jounin-sensei."

"Now, for the second test. I have a riddle. It is the clue to something in the village you must find and bring back to me in less than an hour. Here is the riddle: Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it you die. What is it?"

Shino started towards the village, but neither Naruto stayed where he was, and so did Hinata.

"Why are you not going with Shino," Anko asked. "You are a team, right?"

"Yes, but there is no need to go to the village, Anko-sensei," Naruto replied.

Anko gave a half smile. "Why is that, Naruto?"

"Because the answer to your riddle is nothing. Thus, we need bring you... nothing."

Anko clapped her hands silently. "Very good. You all pass. I think I am going to like this team very much."

X

Shino arrived at the Aburame clan compound trailing a head of steam. He was angry. His teammates had completely and unjustifiable excluded him, and when Hinata had burst into rage at him for no reason, Naruto had blamed _him_. There was something seriously wrong with his teammates.

"Shino. You are angry." His father's voice came from the living area.

"Yes, otou-sama."

"Why?"

Shino wasn't certain how to explain, or even if he could explain. "Otou-sama, my teammates are... odd."

His father cocked his head for a moment. "You teammates are Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata, correct?"

"Yes."

"Please explain to me what happened." His father sat down on the sofa.

"Hinata-san was brooding, and I attempted to talk with her. She rebuffed my attempts quite rudely until she became enraged and was quite verbally abusive. Naruto spent some time and energy calming her down. Then he took me aside and told me that she sometimes gets in moods where she is best left alone, and that I had made a mistake in pushing her."

"I can see why you are upset."

Shino sighed. "I don't understand how Naruto-san can defend her."

"Perhaps he understands her better than you do."

Shino didn't know what to make of that, so he went to his room, still angry at his teammates.

X

Jiraiya looked at the piece of paper in his hands. It was a report from Orochimaru, his spymaster. The Wind Daimyo had mobilized his retinues and was levying troops. He had also increased Suna's subsidies for the first time in years. People forgot, in all of the craziness surrounding the Shinobi World Wars, that the ninja villages were mercenaries, and not a part of the standing armies of the Daimyos. The Daimyos kept them loyal with subsidies, but the main force of their military was still their personal retinue and levied troops. Now it appeared that the Daimyos would be going to war themselves, for the first time since the village system had been founded. Jiraiya wasn't certain which way he would jump. On the one hand, he was under no obligation to aid the Fire Daimyo if Fire Country was attacked by conventional troops. On the other, he could hardly stand by and watch Fire Country have bites opportunistically taken out of it. Decisions must be made. The time to make them was coming soon, but thankfully it was not now.

X

A/N Welcome to my new story. I hope you will enjoy it. I also hope the quality of this is better than my last fic. As some of you may know, my writing and update pace is not exactly swift. Feel free to drop me a PM to give me a boot in the rear if it has been a while. A polite PM, mind.

Although I promise if I get back together with my ex-girlfriend I'll update at least monthly, so pray, ja?


	2. Chapter 2: Burn

Shatter the Sky

A Naruto Fanfic

Summary: During the Uchiha Clan Coup, things don't go quite as planned. As Konoha desperately tries to compensate for its unforeseen losses, the storm clouds gather and the dogs of war begin to struggle at their leashes.

Completely pointless disclaimer that provides no legal protection whatsoever: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

A/N: Some people pointed out that I left some plot threads hanging in the first chapter. This is deliberate. I don't like to infodump. Things like the aftermath of the Uchiha Clan Coup, why Sasuke is still alive, why Naruto is not a moron and Fuu's presence in Konoha will be explained in this chapter and the next. I hope.

Chapter 2: Burn

Uchiha Sasuke was not a happy shinobi. This was anything but a man bites dog headline, since he had gone from village messiah to village pariah in the space of one night. His family had betrayed the village over alleged discriminatory practices stemming from the night of the Kyubi attack. They had lost, and he had been left alive for one purpose. His kekkei-genkai. Several other Uchiha his age, all female, had also been spared. He did not know their fate, but he had his suspicions, and he did not envy them.

Now he was on a team with one of the village's two jinchuriki, and the last member of a clan his was responsible for slaying. His sensei was a jounin of impeccable loyalty who treated him like scum, and he had to put up with it all to prove his own loyalty.

"Hey, dickweed." That was Kiba.

"Yes, Kiba-san?" Sasuke was scrupulously polite, even when provoked. He could not afford to have anyone doubt his loyalty.

"What do you think," he asked. "Do you think we are going to get another D-rank, or is Kakashi-sensei going to let us take a C-rank?"

"I don't care." Sasuke honestly didn't. He knew he would be lucky to make Chunin. Hell, he knew he was lucky to even make Genin. With those as a means of comparison, any mission was a good one.

Fuu was silent. She usually was. It didn't bother Sasuke.

Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, as if somehow he had been there all along. "Well, team, I have secured for us a C-rank mission."

Kiba looked about ready to explode with excitement. "What is it?"

"We are going to escort a convoy of weapons and armor from one of the Fire Daimyo's arsenals to a front line supply dump. There should be relatively little danger, but the cargo is important." Kakashi looked at them sternly. "Get your gear and be at the gates in one hour."

"Yes Kakashi-sensei," three voices chorused in unison.

X

The room smelled of antiseptic. Even though this particular room was not near any of the medical treatment areas of the hospital, the smell trailed Tsunade when she came here, to her office. She was waiting for her weekly appointment. Even though she was a medical ninja by training, since she had come back to the village in the aftermath of the Coup she had been forced to learn psychiatry as she was the only one that Jiraiya would trust to treat certain of his ninja.

There was knock on the door.

"Come in," she said.

Naruto walked into her office. "I'm here for my appointment, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade waved him to a chair. "Sit down, Naruto. We have something we need to discuss."

Naruto sat there silently, waiting for her to begin.

Tsunade sighed. "Naruto-kun, I'm told your team is having problems getting along."

There was a huff from the other side of her desk. "Shino doesn't like Hinata," Naruto said simply.

"So...," there had to be more to it than that. At least Tsunade thought there should be.

Naruto looked at her quizzically. "That's it."

"That's all?" Tsunade couldn't believe it.

Naruto shrugged. "Does there have to be more than that?"

"Usually people have better reasons for the sort of behavior you have exhibited towards Shino than 'this person doesn't like my friend'" Tsunade was quite honestly surprised at the vehemence that Naruto exhibited towards Shino.

"She's my best friend. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't _have_ any friends. Before she started helping me with my studies, I couldn't string two intelligible sentences together. She has stood by me through everything, even when I was at my worst. I owe her everything."

Tsunade rubbed her forehead. "There are other people in the village. She's not the only person you can be friends with. She's not perfect."

Naruto stood. "I can see we don't have anything to discuss. May I be dismissed?"

Tsunade nodded.

Naruto left.

X

Jiraiya looked once more at his intelligence reports. As much as he despised Orchimaru, after the Uchiha Clan Coup Konoha needed a new intelligence head as well as a new head for their ROOT ANBU branch. Orochimaru, for all his flaws, fit both bills, as Jiraiya knew better than anyone else. Which was why the first thing he did when he was named Hokage was bring Orochimaru back to the village to fill both roles.

These intelligence reports were quite worrisome. Suna was rapidly gearing up for war, and the Wind Country army had been rearming with firelances and chakra armor. The Fire Daimyo seemed to be resting on his laurels.

"Kachiko," he said, buzzing the outer office.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Can you get Orochimaru in here? I need him to confirm something for me."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

Fifteen minutes later, Orochimaru came in through the window.

"Jiraiya," he greeted.

"Orochimaru." Jiraiya could be correct. That was about as far as he could unbend when it came to his former teammate. "Are these reports accurate?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. They are."

"So Wind Country and Suna are going to attack Fire Country?"

"Almost certainly."

"Have you alerted the Daimyo?" Jiraiya took a moment to light his pipe.

"I sent copies of all my reports to the Daimyo's Chief-of-Staff and Head of Intelligence."

Jiraiya sank into his chair. "Orochimaru..."

"Yes?"

"You know what to do."

"Yes Hokage-sama."

Every time Jiraiya gave that order that wasn't actually an order, he felt as if a little bit of himself died. How could anyone sit in this chair and look in the mirror and shave every morning?

X

The tea house was crowded. Hinata didn't really care. Naruto was sitting across the table from her, and they were talking about their first month of duty.

"What do you think of our sensei," she asked him.

"She's... interesting. Not what I expected." Naruto chewed on a onigiri.

Hinata took a sip of her tea. "Neither did I." She made a disgusted face. "What do you think of our teammate?"

Naruto spat. "That's what I think of him."

Hinata smiled at him. "I am glad we're on the same page."

"You can always count on me to back you up, Hinata-chan." He smiled.

"I know." Hinata felt a warmth inside.

"Well, look at what we have here," an acidic voice said from the side. "Two lovebirds, tittering away." She turned to see Ino glaring at the two of them. Hinata never had quite found out what she had done to earn her ire.

"We're not dating." That was Naruto.

"Of course not," Ino agreed sarcastically. "Because a male and a female having tea every week is completely platonic."

"We're just friends." Naruto was beginning to get agitated. Hinata was starting to get angry.

"You're a dope, Naruto, you know that?" Ino was laying into him. "A stupid, idiotic moron."

"Enough," Hinata said. She rose in righteous wrath and jabbed Ino twice in the throat. Her Jyuken left Ino gasping for breath.

Naruto watched dispassionately as Ino collapsed to the ground, in the midst of what was effectively an asthma attack. She reached out to him pleadingly.

"Come on, Naruto," Hinata said. "Let's go get some dango."

"Sure."

They left.

X

Anko waited at the gates for her team. She had been practically ordered to take her team out on a C-rank to get them both away from the village, where there were currently some issues, and also to give her team some time to bond, if such a thing were possible.

Her team arrived in two groups from two separate directions, Naruto and Hinata first from the commercial district, and Shino from the Clan District. They studiously ignored each other.

"Alright, team, we have a mission." She looked at the disaster of a team she had. She hadn't realized what a gigantic Charlie-Foxtrot she had when she passed them. "Our mission is to bring a package of explosive tags to one of our border outposts."

"How long will the mission take, Anko-sensei," Shino asked.

Anko understood the reasoning behind his question. He didn't want to spend any more time than necessary in the presence of two people that he quite obviously despised.

"A few days," she answered. "We're going to one of the second tier outposts, one of the ones set back from the border. It's not that far."

"I understand."

"Good." Anko glared at the other two. "Do you understand that I will tolerate none of your bullcrap on this mission?"

"Yes, Anko-Sensei," they chorused, innocence personified.

"Good," she said. She didn't believe a word of it.

X

Yamanaka Inoichi stood outside of his daughter's hospital room. She was currently bedridden due to serious damage done to her lungs and throat from a Jyuken strike. He had evaluated both Hyuga Hinata as well as Uzumaki Naruto, and had recommended that they both be mustered out. The Hokage had overruled him. He sighed.

"You still think I made a mistake?" Jiraiya stood behind him.

Inoichi pointed through the glass. "My daughter is in there barely able to breathe because you overruled me."

Jiraiya folded his arms in front of him. "Naruto is an indispensible strategic weapon..."

"He's a person," Inoichi interrupted.

"I won't argue that, but the fact remains that in the strategic sense, Naruto and other Jinchuriki are weapons of incalculable destruction and can't be thrown without very good reason."

Inoichi felt his blood boiling. "You have Fuu. You spent all that money to transfer her from Waterfall and she isn't enough?"

"The decision to secure Fuu from Waterfall was an emergency decision during a time when we weren't sure of the balance of power. We are now. That doesn't mean we can throw away Naruto for nothing."

"That doesn't justify overruling me on Hinata."

"You evaluated them. If Hinata defected, would Naruto stay loyal to the village, or go with her?" Jiraiya was laying his argument out step by step.

Inoichi said nothing. He knew the answer. He didn't want to answer, because it would mean conceding the point.

Jiraiya nodded. Inoichi's lack of answer had been answer enough apparently. "Exactly. Hinata, heck, anyone would be more likely to defect if given an opportunity denied to them. You can see why I made the decision I did."

"I do. It is a good, logical, decision." Inoichi scowled. "That doesn't mean it is a good one." Inoichi left with the last word.

X

Deep in the bowels of Konoha, Orochimaru was signing some papers. Very important papers. These papers would initiate an operation to eliminate high ranking military officers of the Wind Country, destroy supply depots, arsenals, bridges and other infrastructure important to a military campaign, as well as foment civil unrest amongst the populace. These things would not stop Wind Country from invading, but they would certainly delay them from doing so, possibly giving the Fire Daimyo time to get his head out of his rectum. One could only hope. Reflecting on that, Orochimaru realized it held more truth than he would have liked.

X

A/N: Well, this chapter fills in some background, gives a glimpse at how depraved Naruto and Hinata's friendship might actually be, and sets the stage for the war to come. A war where the ninja villages will not be the primary participants.

Also, I would like to point out that this is an extra special Super Bowl Sunday update. The game was terrible, so I decided to give an extra update, maybe earn some forgiveness for when my updates will inevitably run (very)late.

Reviews make me happy and want to write more. Nothing makes me want to continue writing less than working hard on a story and nobody reviewing.

Any questions about the world, or story, feel free to ask in a PM, if answering it is does not spoil anything I will get back to you.


	3. Chapter 3: All You Wanted

Shatter the Sky

A Naruto Fanfic

Summary: During the Uchiha Clan Coup, things don't go quite as planned. As Konoha desperately tries to compensate for its unforeseen losses, the storm clouds gather and the dogs of war begin to struggle at their leashes.

Completely pointless disclaimer that provides no legal protection whatsoever: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

A/N: In this chapter we will find out why Itachi and Shisui sided with the traitorous Uchiha, why all three of the Sannin are in Konoha, and one of the biggest changes of Post-Coup-Konoha is revealed.

Chapter 3: All You Wanted

Uchiha Sasuke was a loyal Konoha ninja. He was not a perfectly loyal Konoha ninja, but the only perfectly loyal Konoha ninja were dead. That is how you became a perfectly loyal ninja, by giving your life for the village(some would say to the village, but not Sasuke, at least most of the time). Until then, your loyalty was always suspect, it was just one of the facts of living in a ninja village.

This is an important fact, because at this very moment he is being importuned by his brother into treason. The fact that his brother is dead notwithstanding, this is a moment of crisis for Sasuke. He loves his village, but he also loves his brother.

Let's rewind a bit: this morning, Sasuke received an "in the event of my death" package from his brother. Smart man, that Itachi, but he is a ninja. Inside were some scrolls revealing the secrets of some very complex jutsu, and a letter. Which Sasuke is reading right now. Lets peek over his shoulder for a moment.

 _Dearest Sasuke;_

 _If you are reading this, I am dead. I will have failed in my mission to overthrow the Hokage and council. While this may seem at odds with the peace loving and loyal ANBU you knew, I will tell you why I and Shisui chose to support Otou-sama's coup after many years of choosing to resist all of their attempts to do so. It is simple._

 _The Yondaime killed Obito._

 _Our clansman was reported dead, but we found out that the Yondaime killed him(months after he was reported dead) on the day that he died. They gave us some polite fiction about how he was trying to kill the Yondaime's wife, but it is quite obviously a lie. So I changed my mind, as what seemed like paranoia months ago is now in retrospect actually truth._

 _What you choose to do with this information is up to you. I hope you do the right thing, and continue the work of Father and myself._

 _With love,_

 _Uchiha Itachi_

Well, that is some pretty heavy stuff. I think we'll come back to this later.

X

Loyalty is an important part of Mitarashi Anko's life. Loyalty to her comrades and loyalty to her village. Which is why her team was an endless frustration. She wasn't sure Hinata was loyal to anyone, and Naruto was loyal only to Hinata. Shino was becoming more maladjusted by the day, and her team was behaving like a bunch of... Anko honestly couldn't think of an appropriate simile. So she was drinking away her troubles.

The Buzzed Buzzard was a typical shinobi bar. Clean, well lit, with an excellent selection of drinks and a large menu. Which was contrary to the stereotype, but honestly shinobi did almost all their work in the shadows, they didn't want to relieve the burdens of their work in the shadows as well.

The Buzzed Buzzard was atypical in one respect, however. They had a strict "no Genin" policy. Genin were allowed to drink, just as they were allowed to carry on intimate relationships, as they were legally adults due to their shinobi status. This of course leads to all sorts of outcry amongst the civilian population about the double standard that a thirteen year old civilian would be arrested for those things, but Konoha was a miltary city-state, so that was how things were.

Anyway, the Buzzed Buzzard didn't allow genin in, which was why Anko chose to drink there, as she did not want to run into any of her Genin. She didn't know if any of her genin drank, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"Another one," she said to the bartender.

The bartender looked at her. She was not just smashed, he wasn't certain she knew up from ten.

"I think you have had enough." He was not rude, in fact he was kind, but he was very firm. Anko would be having no more drinks tonight.

"Do you know why I'm drinking?" Anko wanted to tell someone the whole story. Nevermind that the bartender didn't have the clearance for the information, she needed to get it out. Luckily, the day was saved.

"I'll take her from here," Kakashi said to the bartender. He picked Anko up gently and us shunshin to teleport away.

They arrived at her apartment, and Kakashi put her to bed.

"Kakashi-san," Anko said sleepily.

"Yes," Kakashi answered.

"My team is terrible and I don't know what to do." Anko started snoring.

"Neither do I," Kakashi said quietly. He understood Anko, to an extent. His team was dysfunctional as well, though not as much as Anko's.

Kakashi stared out the window, keeping watch over Anko through the night.

X

Orochimaru cared not a whit about the village, or loyalty. He did, however, care, in an odd sense, for his teammates. So when Jiraiya asked him to treturn to the village, as a personal favor, he couldn't refuse.

Orochimaru honestly enjoyed his new job. It was a shadow game, mirrors reflecting onto mirrors infinitely, exactly the sort of thing he was good at. Did he miss being a mssing-nin, answerable to no one? Sometimes.

Like now. Running an intelligence network involved a considerable amount of paperwork, and the occasional interview with one of his agents, some of which he couldn't stand. Such as the man sitting across from him.

Momochi Zabuza was scum, selling his services to the highest bidder to earn enough money to finance hiring enough other missing nin to overthrow the Mizkage. Why does this make him scum? Because there is already a rebel group he could quite easily join, where a ninja of his caliber could make a considerable difference.

"What have you learned about Suna's plans?" Orochimaru did like one thing about hiring missing ninja as assets, they got around.

"Suna is offering asylum to any missing-nin who joins up with them," Zabuza replied. "They are building up. They are even offering a three hundred ryou bounty to people who join up."

That was interesting news, if true. Three hundred ryou wasn't a lot, but it was triple the usual fee paid upon joining a villages ninja corps. Those two facts meant Suna was very serious about recruiting. Which meant all the buildup in Wind Country wasn't for show, they really were going to attack. Not that Orochimaru had doubted it before, but the information he had was not entirely conclusive.

Now it was.

X

There were certain concepts Uzumaki Naruto had difficulty with. Loyalty was one. He knew he was supposed to loyal to the village, but when weighed that against loyalty to his best friend, he couldn't understand why he should care. Love was another one. He loved Hinata. He also loved his on again, off again lover, Bayushi Mayuri. They were together again, which was why right now they were cuddling on his bed. Mayuri was undeniably the most beautiful female in the world, though she didn't think so.

"I love you," Naruto said to her, reaching his arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

Mayuri sighed. "Do you love Hinata as well?"

Naruto kissed her neck. "I only want you."

"You didn't answer my question." Mayuri's voice was acid.

"Yes," Naruto replied. "I can't control who I love, Mayuri. But you are who I want to be with, not Hinata."

"You just don't get it, Naruto," Mayuri said. "You can't love her and expect me to want to be with you."

Mayuri pulled out of his embrace and stood.

"Wait." Naruto's voice was pleading.

Mayuri stopped and half-turned. "Why?"

"I...," Naruto choked on his words, "You're the only one I love."

Mayuri scoffed. "You don't mean that, you just don't want me to leave you."

"I promise," Naruto said. "Just give me a chance to prove it."

Mayuri considered. "I guess you deserve a chance." She sat back down and leaned into his embrace.

Naruto wasn't sure what to do. He had solved a problem only to create another. Love was too complicated.

X

Uchiha Sasuke watched the bonfire burn. It consisted of the worldly possession of one Uchiha Itachi, and everything that had been left for him. Sasuke had thought long and hard about what to do about the letter. Turning it in would have been the proper thing to do. Sasuke chose not to do so. He didn't want to make things worse for what remained of his clan. In the end, Sasuke was not a perfectly loyal Konoha shinobi, but really, who was?

X

Honestly Jiraiya could do without the extra hassle. The elimination of the council certainly streamlined the decision making for the village, but it eliminated a source of delegation for mundane issues. Now he had no one to foist minor issues like this off to.

One of the weapon shop owners was accusing another of undercutting prices to the point where they couldn't stay in business. Apparently the shop in question had built up a reserve inventory and was using it to drive its competitors out of business. This was not something th Hokage should be dealing with. He wrote a note to himself. Create a position to deal with this sort of mundane business.

A/N: Well, it has been a while, hasn't it? My best friend and I had a bit of an issue, I got really depressed, and relationship issues(I want to be back with my ex(whom I love and want to spend the rest of my life with)).

I hope you enjoy this, and the quality is up to snuff. As always, reviews make me want to update, as nothing kills the urge to write more than feeling like no one is reading what you are writing, and feel free to PM me with questions or just to give me a polite kick in the ass(emphasis on polite.

Also, question for you guys. Do you think it is possible for a dream to be more than a dream? Like if you talk to someone in a dream, you might actually be talking to them?


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